Kanzaki Tooji/Plot
History Although not much about Tooji's role in the former cycling club has been revealed, the third-years of the initial club still have a great deal of respect for him. Tooji was a supportive captain and he still continues to help the team as an adult. He was the one who found Makishima Yusuke's marks hidden beneath a poster on the club wall as a record of the boy's training progress as a first-year. Although Makishima claimed a "scary" upperclassman found the marks, making him remove that chunk of the wall and pretend it never happened, Tooji never showed anger at the vandalism. Tooji also mentored Tadokoro Jin when Tadokoro felt he could never win at cycling due to his large size and poor results. Tooji told him that quitting was fine only if someone didn't mind losing, not if that person wanted to win. He encouraged Tadokoro to become a sprinter in order to become good at one thing and to worry about the other later. During training afterward, Mr. Pierre drove Tooji by Tadokoro's side as he pedaled. When Tadokoro claimed he couldn't pedal anymore, being at his limit, Tooji replied that a person decides their own limits, and that Tadokoro needed to decide with his heart, not to let it be weaker than anyone else's. Tadokoro embraced these words and continued to push himself further as Tooji instructed him on how to sprint. Mr. Pierre stated that Tadokoro made a breakthrough from this. Tooji said it was for the best that sprinters be simple and straightforward, and that Tadokoro had guts even though he would probably lose over and over. He believed Tadokoro would just keep moving forward, even if he fell or became dirty, until he won and his perspective of the world would change. To him, a sprinter who doesn't know loss can never become stronger. Tooji, visibly wearing a sort of brace on his left knee, thought that Tadokoro would become a good sprinter if he trained hard enough with his instruction, and would carry on the captain's will—although Tooji claimed the latter was a joke. According to the anime, one day after Tooji graduated and started working, a young Imaizumi Shunsuke was brought by his butler, Takahashi, to Kanzaki Cycle Shop to look at potential bikes for his birthday. Tooji noticed Imaizumi eyeing the blue Scolt bike hanging on the wall. Tooji gave him a smaller road bike to try out. Imaizumi ended up disappearing for two hours as he rode it around, which panicked Takahashi, but Tooji didn't mind. Imaizumi loved riding the bike so much that he bought it and entered his first race. Right away, the noise of the pack bothered him, so Imaizumi aggressively broke away from the pack to ride at the front where it was quieter and won the race, much to everyone's surprise. After the race, Tooji introduced Imaizumi to his younger sister, Kanzaki Miki, starting their history as childhood friends. A New School Imaizumi vs. Onoda In the anime, Tooji provides the van for Miki and her friend Tachibana Aya, as well as several girls, to witness the race between Onoda Sakamichi and Imaizumi after they meet as first-years in high school. Building Sohoku's Cycling Team First-Year Welcome Race Although late, Tooji brings his van for the third-years, Miki, and Mr. Pierre to use to pick up retired cyclists during the First-Year Welcome race; he also brings Onoda his new road racer in the van, which Miki gives to Onoda after the chain on his bike slips off. This allows Onoda to continue the race to at least reach his friends and claim the Mountain King title. 41st Summer Inter High Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 After the Inter High Category:Character History